Love for the Ahl al-Bayt and the Oppression of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (PBUH): Examining the Inconsistency Between the “Reward of Prophethood” and the Conduct of the First Rulers Based on Shi‘a and Sunni Sources
Author: Hamed Sarem
A Documented Study of Fatimah al-Zahra’s (PBUH) Status as the “Reward of the Prophetic Mission” and the Evidence of Her Oppression in the Hadith and Historical Sources of Both Schools
Fourteen hundred years have passed since the revelation of the verse, “Say: I do not ask you for any reward for it except affection for [my] near relatives” (Qur’an 42:23)—a verse through which the Prophet identified only the “reward of the prophetic mission” and called the community to love his family. Yet the fundamental question of history is this: how can the divine command to show affection toward the closest member of the Prophet’s family coexist, in reliable Sunni sources, with anger, a nighttime burial, and the concealment of the grave of Fatimah al-Zahra (PBUH)? Drawing simultaneously on Shi‘i and Sunni sources, this study examines this evident inconsistency between the Qur’anic obligation and the political conduct of the rulers of early Islam—an inconsistency which, if left unexplained, will leave the Verse of Affection and the fate of the Prophet’s daughter as the greatest unanswered question in Islamic history.
Abstract:
The Verse of Affection—“Say: I do not ask you for any reward for it except affection for [my] near relatives” (Qur’an 42:23)—confines the reward of the Messenger’s mission to affection for his “near relatives.” In the Shi‘i view, the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT)—foremost among them Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (PBUH)—are the primary referent of these near relatives; any failure to love and respect them constitutes a denial of the reward of the prophetic mission and a disparagement of the Prophetic mission.
On the other hand, a number of reliable Sunni hadith and historical sources report Lady Fatimah’s (PBUH) anger toward the first caliph, her nighttime burial and the concealment of her grave, the political pressures after Saqifah, and threats directed at her house. Especially in light of al-Zahra’s (PBUH) early death, these reports reveal a form of inconsistency between the Qur’anic command of affection and the practical conduct of certain early rulers toward the Prophet’s daughter (PBUH).
This article, employing a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach, first elucidates the Qur’anic and hadith-based foundation of affection for the Ahl al-Bayt; it then draws out and analyzes the indicators of the oppression suffered by Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) through Shi‘i and Sunni sources. It subsequently reports and critiques the principal opposing views defending the conduct of the caliphs. The conclusion is that the Shi‘i interpretation of the “reward of the message” and affection for the Ahl al-Bayt possesses greater internal consistency with this body of historical data and invites the reader to reconsider historical and theological judgments concerning that period.
Keywords: Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), reward of the message, the Verse of Affection, Fadak, Fatimah’s anger, Saqifah, justice of the Companions.
The Verse of Affection, as one of the foundational verses defining the relationship of the community to the Prophet’s family (peace be upon him), occupies a central place in Islamic theology. In setting forth the reward of the message, the Noble Qur’an commands the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Say: I ask of you no reward for it except affection for [my] near relatives” (al-Shura, 23).
Thus, love and affection toward the “near relatives”—applied to the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon him)—constitute the only reward that God has assigned for the great mission of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him). Within this framework, the historical conduct of the community and the earliest rulers toward the Ahl al-Bayt, especially Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), rises beyond the level of a merely historical discussion and becomes a serious test of the community’s sincerity in claiming to have rendered the reward of the message.
Relying on two categories of sources—1. Shi‘i exegetical, hadith, and historical sources; 2. Sunni hadith and historical sources—this article seeks, on the one hand, to explain the Qur’anic and hadith-based foundations of affection for the Ahl al-Bayt and, on the other, to show how a body of reports concerning Lady Fatimah’s anger (peace be upon her), her nighttime burial, the concealment of her grave, pressures following Saqifah, and threats directed at her house presents a clear picture of her oppression and of the incompatibility between the “commanded affection” and the “conduct that occurred.”
2. The Qur’anic Basis of the Reward for the Prophetic Mission and the Concept of Affection for the Near Kin
2.1. The Text of the Verse and Shi‘i Exegesis
The verse of affection states:
“Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it except affection for the near kin.” (al-Shura, 23)
In Shi‘i exegeses, including al-Tabrisi’s Majma‘ al-Bayan, and in the narrations transmitted in al-Kafi (al-Kulayni, vol. 1, chapter: “Concerning the Imams Being the People of Remembrance”), “the near kin” (qurba) has been applied to the Prophet’s Household (PBUH)—namely ‘Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn (PBUT). In this context, affection is not merely emotional love; rather, it also encompasses obedience, support, and the practical defense of the rights of the Ahl al-Bayt. Thus, the “reward for the prophetic mission” finds its meaning in the existential and practical relationship of the community with the Ahl al-Bayt.
2.2. Indications in Sunni Exegeses
Among Sunni exegetes, reports have likewise been transmitted that interpret “al-qurbā” as the Prophet’s Household (Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them), although some have proposed broader meanings, such as the relatives of Quraysh or relatives in general. Nevertheless, the fundamental necessity of loving and showing special respect toward the Ahl al-Bayt is accepted in the tradition of those who differ from the Shiʿa.
3. The Status of Lady Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her) in the Narrations of the Two Schools
Shiʿi and Sunni sources concur regarding the عظمة of Lady Fatima’s status (peace be upon her). In al-Bukhari, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is reported to have said:
“Fatima is a part of me; whoever angers her has angered me.” (Bukhari, Book of the Virtues of the Prophet’s Companions, Chapter on the Merits of the Relatives of the Messenger of Allah)
In Shiʿi sources, such as al-Kafi (vol. 1, p. 458) and Bihar al-Anwar (vol. 27, p. 62), Lady al-Zahra (peace be upon her) is presented as “Sayyidat Nisaʾ al-ʿAlamin” (the Chief Lady of the Worlds), “al-Siddiqah,” and as possessing the rank of infallibility. In the well-known narration:
“They are Fatima, her father, her husband, and her sons.” (Awalim al-ʿUlum wa al-Maʿarif, vol. 11, part 2, Fatima [peace be upon her], p. 930)
Fatimah (peace be upon her) is regarded as the central axis of the Five Pure Lights. Al-Hakim’s al-Mustadrak likewise reports the hadith: “Indeed, God is pleased with her pleasure and angered by her anger,” which al-Dhahabi authenticated. On this basis, Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) pleasure and anger are not merely emotional matters; rather, they constitute a divine criterion for assessing people’s stance toward God and His Messenger.
4. Spiritual and Physical Afflictions in the Shiʿi Narrative of Lady Fatimah’s oppression (peace be upon her)
4.1. Spiritual Afflictions: The Usurpation of the Caliphate and the Loneliness of Wilayah
In Shiʿi texts, the greatest spiritual suffering of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) is described as the estrangement and loneliness of the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAli (peace be upon him), and the deviation of the course of the caliphate from Ghadir. This grief did not arise merely from the marital bond; rather, it stemmed from profound concern over the loss of the legacy of prophethood and its consequences for the Muslim community and the history of humankind.
Ibn Shahrashub, in Manaqib Al Abi Talib (vol. 2, p. 205), speaks of Lady Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) complaint concerning the violation of the sanctity of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) designated successor. The poem attributed to her beside the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) grave reads:
“Afflictions were poured upon me such that, had they been poured upon the days, they would have turned into nights.” (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 79, p. 106)
This is but one aspect of the depth of these afflictions. The report of Umm Salama’s conversation with Lady Fatima (peace be upon her), in which she heard the reply:
«بَین الغَصّة و الغَم… غَصّة فقد النبی و غَمّ ظلم وصیّه…» is likewise cited in Shi‘i sources as evidence of the combined grief of losing the Prophet and the sorrow caused by the injustice done to Ali (peace be upon him).
4.2. The Humiliation of the station of Infallibility in the Affair of Fadak
In the affair of Fadak, Fatima (peace be upon her)—despite her station of infallibility and truthfulness—was asked to produce witnesses to establish her right, even though she herself holds the rank of infallibility according to the Shi‘a and is the Sayyidat of the women of Paradise according to their opponents. Al-Tabrisi, in al-Ihtijaj (vol. 1, p. 107), records the Fadak sermon and Fatima’s (peace be upon her) sharp complaints about the conduct of the caliph and his companions. From the Shi‘i perspective, this situation constitutes a practical humiliation of the station of infallibility and a manifest violation of the affection due to the «buz‘ah of the Prophet».
4.3. Physical Injuries and the Account of Martyrdom
Shi‘i sources report numerous physical injuries that ultimately led to the Lady’s martyrdom, including:
Kāmil al-Ziyārāt of Ibn Qūlawayh (p. 333): Gabriel’s report to the Prophet concerning the oppression of his daughter, the assault on her house while she was pregnant, the miscarriage of her child, and her death as a result of those same blows. Daʿāʾim al-Islām of Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān (vol. 1, p. 232): an account of the severe emaciation of her body and the wasting away of the flesh of the Lady after those events. Talkhīṣ al-Shāfī of Shaykh al-Ṭūsī (vol. 3, p. 156): an explicit statement that there is no disagreement among the Shiʿa that ʿUmar struck Fāṭima’s (peace be upon her) abdomen and that her fetus (Muḥsin) was miscarried. Sharḥ al-Tajrīd of ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī (p. 376): a reference to the beating of Fāṭima (peace be upon her) and the miscarriage of a fetus named Muḥsin. Dalāʾil al-Imāma and Nawādir al-Muʿjizāt of the Imāmī al-Ṭabarī (pp. 45; 97–98): a statement that Qunfudh struck her with the hilt of a sword and that the Lady suffered a severe illness until her death. Al-Iḥtijāj of al-Ṭabrisī (vol. 1, p. 83): an account of a whip striking her arm, leaving a mark like an armband, her being thrown inside the house, the breaking of her side, and the miscarriage of her fetus.
Within this body of reports, the martyrdom of Lady Fāṭima (peace be upon her) is understood as the natural result of bodily deterioration caused by the blows, psychological distress, and the illness resulting from them—not as an ordinary and simple death caused by grief.
5. Key Evidence of the Oppression of Lady Fāṭima (Peace Be Upon Her) in Sunni Sources
The essential point is that, even without relying on particular Shiʿi reports, a picture of the oppression of Lady Fāṭima (peace be upon her) can be drawn solely from the reliable sources of the opponents as well—a picture that appears incompatible with the command to show affection.
5.1. Her Enduring Anger toward the Caliph
In al-Bukhārī, concerning the dispute over Fadak, it is stated:
“Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, became angry with Abu Bakr and abandoned him; she did not speak to him until she passed away.” (Bukhari, Book of Khums, Hadith 3093)
According to this report, Fatimah (peace be upon her) became angry with Abu Bakr, left him, and did not speak to him until her death. When this narration is considered alongside the hadith, “Whoever angers her has indeed angered me,” an unavoidable conclusion emerges—one that conflicts with the common portrayal of the Companions’ unquestionable justice.
5.2. Night Burial and the Concealment of the Grave
The continuation of the same narration in Bukhari states:
“When she passed away, Ali buried her at night and did not inform Abu Bakr of her [death].” (Bukhari, Book of Funerals, Hadith 1341)
From the Shi‘i perspective, the night burial of the Prophet’s daughter (peace be upon him), without the caliph’s presence, together with the passing of centuries without the location of her grave becoming known, is a sign of her enduring protest against the existing order. Even from the perspective of an impartial Sunni reader, this is incompatible with the meaning of affection; there is no recourse except unwarranted justification, and denial is likewise impossible, since, according to their own claim, Bukhari is the most authentic of books.
5.3. Early Death
Biographical and historical works of the opposing school, such as Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani’s al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah and al-Dhahabi’s Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’, record Lady Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) death as occurring approximately 75 to 95 days after the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) passing—or, in some reports, no more than six months later—while her age is reported to have been about 18 years. This early death, together with the silence of the sources regarding the precise cause of her illness, can, alongside other evidence, be cogently explained by the Shi‘i account of her martyrdom as a result of pressures and blows, although Sunnis do not accept this explanation.
5.4. The Threat to Burn the House
Al-Tabari’s History (vol. 3, p. 203) reports that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, seeking to bring ‘Ali (peace be upon him) and a group of Companions out of the house and compel them to pledge allegiance to the caliph, said: “By God! If they do not come out, I will set the house ablaze over them.” Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih’s al-‘Iqd al-Farid (vol. 4, p. 93) likewise reports that when he was told, “Fatimah is in this house,” he replied: “ولو کانت فاطمة.”
Even if differing views are advanced in assessing the chains of transmission of these reports, the very presence of such accounts in authoritative Sunni sources indicates the intensity of the political tension surrounding the household of Fatimah (peace be upon her); this appears incompatible with an image of unquestioned affection and respect.
5.5. Acknowledgment of Oppression in Some Sunni Works
In works such as Mas‘udi’s Muruj al-Dhahab, Ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu‘tazili’s Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, al-Suyuti’s al-La’ali’ al-Masnu‘ah, and Ibn Hajar’s Lisan al-Mizan, reports appear concerning the oppression suffered by Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her), the intense dispute over Fadak, and the pressures exerted after the Saqifah. Although these works hold varying degrees of authority within the Sunni tradition, they show that a uniform and tension-free portrayal of that period is the product of selective narration, not the outcome of the sources as a whole.
6. Opposing Views and Attempts to Justify the Conduct of the First Rulers
In order to preserve the principle of the “uprightness of the Companions” and the full legitimacy of the caliphs, Sunni scholars have had to reconcile this body of texts with their theological premise. The principal solutions offered are as follows:
6.1. The Claim of Reconciliation in the Final Days
Despite al-Bukhari’s explicit statement that her anger continued until her death, other reports—mainly with weaker chains of transmission—speak of a renewed meeting between the caliph and Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) and of some form of reconciliation. On the basis of these reports, some contemporary writers attempt to interpret al-Bukhari’s narration figuratively. Nevertheless, according to the hadith methodology of Sunni scholars themselves, preferring weak reports to al-Bukhari’s explicit text is not easy, and itself demonstrates the difficulty of accepting the import of that narration. Moreover, with decisive evidence such as the concealment of her grave, it is plainly evident that this claim is nothing more than deception.
6.2. Denial or Weakening of the Narrations Concerning the Assault and the Threat of Arson
Salafi currents and some later hadith scholars have regarded the reports concerning the threat to burn down the house and the assault on Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) home either as flawed in terms of their chains of transmission, or have raised the possibility of intervention by extremists and political opponents. However, the presence of the theme of threat in works such as Tarikh al-Tabari and al-‘Iqd al-Farid prevents the complete removal of these pieces of evidence from the historical record.
6.3. Reducing the Fadak Dispute to a Juristic Disagreement
A significant part of the Sunni defensive effort has been encapsulated in the “juristic framing” of the Fadak episode. Based on the hadith, “We do not leave inheritance; what we leave is charity” (لا نورث؛ ما ترکنا صدقة), which appears in their sources, it is claimed that Abu Bakr acted according to his religious duty and retained Fadak as public charity, and that his disagreement with Fatimah (peace be upon her) arose from a difference in ijtihad.
This, however, is insufficient as a justification, given the prior transfer of Fadak to Fatimah (peace be upon her) during the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) lifetime and in view of her station of infallibility. Moreover, the continuation of her anger until her death, her nighttime burial, and the concealment of her grave can hardly be reconciled with a simple juristic disagreement. Rather, it is very clear that a very profound disagreement existed, like the disagreement between the Prophet of mercy and Quraysh, for which “To you your religion, and to me mine” («لکم دینکم و لی دین») expresses the depth of this rift and disagreement.
7. The Incompatibility Between “Commanded Affection” and “the Conduct That Occurred”
By bringing together the preceding discussions, it can be said:
7.1. At the level of textual sources: the Qur’an and narrations
The Qur’an presents love and affection toward the Prophet’s near relatives as the sole recompense for the prophetic mission. In a mutually agreed-upon hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) describes Fatimah (PBUH) as «a part of himself» and identifies her anger with his own anger. Other narrations regard Fatimah’s (PBUH) pleasure as God’s pleasure and her anger as God’s anger.
7.2. At the level of historical reports—even in the sources of opponents:
Fatimah (PBUH) was angry with the first caliph and did not speak to him until her martyrdom. The Prophet’s (PBUH) daughter was buried at night, and the caliph remained unaware of her funeral procession. Her grave remains hidden to this day. The house in which she lived was, at least at the level of threat, targeted for burning. Her death at a young age, only a few months after the Prophet’s passing, has been recorded without sufficient explanation of its cause.
These two levels of evidence reveal a serious incompatibility between the «Qur’anic imperative of affection» and «what historically occurred». From the Shi‘i perspective, this incompatibility results from the failure of part of the Ummah—including some of the earliest rulers—in the test of the recompense for the prophetic mission; the oppression, illness, and martyrdom of Lady al-Zahra (PBUH) are the fruit of that very failure. From the perspective of the predominant body of Ahl al-Sunnah, preserving the justice of the Companions requires interpreting away, minimizing, or denying part of these data; an effort which, as we have seen, faces significant methodological and textual challenges.
8. Conclusion
This study demonstrated that:
1. The Verse of Affection confines the reward of the prophetic mission to affection for the Prophet’s Household (Ahl al-Bayt) (PBUH)—at the forefront of whom is Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (PBUH).
2. Widely accepted traditions have depicted a distinctive status for Fatimah (PBUH), to the extent that her anger has been described as the Prophet’s anger and her pleasure as God’s pleasure.
3. A body of evidence in the sources of the opponents indicates Fatimah’s enduring anger toward the caliph, her nighttime burial, the concealment of her grave, and the political pressures following Saqifah—matters incompatible with the notion of affection and unconditional respect for the Prophet’s Household.
4. Various attempts to justify or reinterpret these reports—whether by claiming reconciliation, reducing the dispute to a jurisprudential disagreement, or denying the reports of the attack—have not been able to resolve this incompatibility completely.
5. Accordingly, a scholarly and fair examination of the Ummah’s historical conduct toward Lady Fatimah (PBUH) is not merely a sectarian dispute; rather, it is an opportunity to reconsider the relationship between sacred text, political history, and religious ethics. In this regard, the Shi‘i interpretation of the “reward of the mission” and “affection for the near relatives” shows greater consistency with the historical data concerning the oppression suffered by Lady al-Zahra (PBUH), and invites the reader to reflect anew on official narratives of early Islam.
